INPEX CORPORATION (INPEX) is pleased to announce today that it has completed the construction work for extending its “Shin Tokyo Line” (“New” Tokyo Line, a natural gas pipeline starting at Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture) from Tomioka City to Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture by 19 km, and started its commercial operation of sending gas produced at the Minami-Nagaoka gas field and other fields in Niigata Prefecture. Shin Tokyo Line runs in parallel with INPEX’s Tokyo Line (a natural gas pipeline also starting at Joetsu City to reach Adachi Ward, Tokyo), and these two Lines are connected at Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture. Shin Tokyo Line is now 213 km long (from Joetsu to Fujioka).

By extending Shin Tokyo Line to connect the two pipelines at Fujioka City, the pipeline capacity is substantially enhanced to meet a steadily growing gas demand in the North Kanto area, contributing to a stable and efficient natural gas supply through INPEX gas pipeline system.

Through enhancing and expanding our natural gas network, INPEX will continue to work on “Strengthening its Gas Supply Chain”, one of the measures for growth in “Medium- To Long-Term Vision of INPEX” as announced in May this year. Also, INPEX will continuously make efforts to supply natural gas, an environmentally friendly fuel, in a stable manner by maintaining safety management of the pipeline system.